The erosion of dental enamel can lead to pain, discoloration, mechanical failure, and greater susceptibility to dental carries. Chemical erosion of tooth enamel may arise from the presence of acid in the oral cavity. Saliva constituents, mainly proteins and minerals, along with the pellicle are integral in protecting against an erosive challenge. The minerals and proteins in saliva help provide a chemical barrier to slow down or shift the complex dynamic equilibria of hard tissue demineralization, while the pellicle will provide a diffusion barrier to accomplish the same process. Further, the pH value and the presence of species such as phosphate and fluoride help determine the degree of saturation with respect to tooth mineral composition and the driving force for dissolution.
One of the many purposes that oral care compositions may serve is to help control pH in the oral cavity. A common strategy when attempting to control oral pH is to include an alkaline agent in the formulation of an oral care composition. The alkaline agent reacts with acid to neutralize the acid, forming water and a salt. This process raises the pH in the oral cavity. The alkaline agent has the capacity to neutralize an equivalent amount of acid. Limited amounts of alkaline agent may be integrated into an oral care composition. An alternative to an alkaline agent is the use of a buffer system. Buffer systems may be designed to stay within a particular pH range based on their composition. Buffer systems also may be safely included in oral care compositions at a higher loading than a pure alkaline agent. While the prior art recognizes the inclusion of buffer systems in oral care compositions for the purpose of maintaining pH, these buffer systems do not have high enough buffer capacity to protect against acid based enamel erosion.